Saw rehab

There's a lot of info available on rehabbing an old saw...thought I'd share a recent rehab myself.
The saw is a flea market $3 find. Picked it up primarily because the handle was in pretty decent shape, the nib was still in tact, and the plate was straight. A few concerns regarding the rust and potential pitting, but I just can't pass up a $3 saw.

The medallion and handle seem to indicate a Disston No. 8, made between 1896 and 1917. 26", 10ppi.

My interest was to keep the aged look. Just wanted to clean it up and make it usable.

Here's as purchased:
Attachment 366768

And here is the finished rehab:
Attachment 366769

If interested, the steps I took are on the following posts.

I started with the handle. A light cleaning with Murphy's oil soap. The result showed (as expected) some dark staining around the plate slot, top of the handle, and around the main handle.

Attachment 366770 Attachment 366771

To lighten the dark stains, I use a thick paste of Barkeeper's friend and water. Works as a wood bleach. I wasn't trying to bleach out all the character, just reduce the stark stain. I applied the paste to the dark areas, left it for 5 minutes, rinsed, let dry, and then repeated as needed.

Attachment 366772

After a few applications in various spots, I got it to what I thought was a good balance of "old age" and even color.

Attachment 366773

I finished it with a very light sanding just to knock down any raised grain, and applied a number of coats of Feed and Wax.

On to the plate. An overnight soak in Evaporust and light scrubbing with a scotch brite pad and WD40, showed some minor pitting, no visible etch, but a fairly clean plate. Good enough for a user.
Attachment 366774

Unfortunately, couldn't say the same for the existing tooth line. I felt it was beyond my ability to correct, so decided to file it down and start over.

Attachment 366781

Teeth filed off. I was happy to see a very smooth surface..no noticable pitting issues.
Attachment 366775

10ppi template applied (courtesy Blackburn Tools...thanks Isaac!), and initial teeth marked with a file stroke.
Attachment 366776

Template removed, Dykem applied to help out these old eyes, and teeth were initially shaped to rip.
Attachment 366777

Another coat of Dykem, and a final filing to crosscut. My goal was 12 degrees rake, 20 degrees fleam. A few oops later, I feel pretty good about how the teeth came out. Not perfect by any means, but still being fairly new to this saw sharpening thing, acceptable.
Attachment 366778

I then set the teeth at the lowest setting I could dial in on a Stanley 42X.

Well, I guess proof is in the cutting. First couple test cuts it was drifting. A little additional set, and it tracks well.

Attachment 366782



Certainly not a museum piece, but glad it's back to user condition. I'm going to enjoy using it.

Attachment 366783

Nice rehab. Nice thin kerfs, too.

I have some rehabbed saws as well. It is fun to fix up old saws. I enjoy making new handles if needed and polishing the saw nuts. It is great to be able to shape, sharpen, and set teeth.

If you have not done so yet, pick an old saw and just do it.

Hi Phil,

Good job, I think it is great to see an old saw, or any other type of hand tool, put back in shape and getting back into the battle.

Nice job, and one more +1 on the narrow kerf.

Again, congrats and good job!

Stew

Nice work Phil.

My recollection may be in error, but doesn't a Disston No. 8 have a rounded shape at the handle and no slot in the top of the handle?

As a funny side, I sharpened a D-23 for a friend recently. It had been in my shop for years and he was coming for a visit, thus the time to get it done was here. When it was handed to him, the first thing he did was bend it and strike it to see how it sounded. He is more interested in using it as a musical saw than for actual sawing.

Talk about two different things when tuning up an old saw.

jtk

+1 for not " overcleaning"

Jim, it is a little confusing. According to the Disstonian Institute, the rip version of the No. 7 didn't have the decorative notch at the top of the handle, but the crosscut No. 7 did. The lack of the decorative notch allowed a better two handed fit for ripping.

Not sure if you're refering to a "cover top" handle on your second comment? That occured first on the D8 and wasn't adopted for other saws until around 1928...

My thought on this saw is purely from looking at handles at the Disstonian Institute. Tough to know for sure without some etch. Any input welcome!

I was thinking No 7. Handle wood looks like beech from the pics, the 8's had apple handles. Nice job on the restoration. 👍

Looks like an ordinary No 7 to me.

Good job Phil!!!